What Exactly is Myoskeletal Alignment Therapy?

What Exactly is Myoskeletal Alignment Therapy?

Thank you to Erik Dalton for providing this information from your website. Dalton is the founder of Freedom From Pain Institute in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and the developer of the term Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques (MAT). If you just received your massage certification and you are trying to figure out what specialized direction to take in your field, Myoskeletal Alignment Therapy (which is another name for Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques) should definitely be considered. MAT is a medical massage therapy unlike many other massage therapies for the sole purpose of relaxation. However, MAT is also so much more. So what is MAT?

In order to find out exactly what is MAT, the place to begin is not secondary sources but with the creator of MAT. Dalton developed this rich, well-researched and thoroughly tested tool box of deep tissue massage techniques in an effort to help people better manage and alleviate all kinds of pain, particularly the stubborn pain patterns that tend to affect people for long periods of time and, in turn, take a toll on their quality of life. For example, MAT comprises specific massage techniques for back pain that can assist clients in gaining relief from this all too common and powerful type of pain.

As you look further into the question of what is Myoskeletal Alignment Therapy, you will find that relief from back pain is just one in a long line of potential benefits that MAT can bring for client issues and conditions of all kinds. Among the many other scenarios Dalton has developed MAT techniques to address are sciatica, lumbago, scoliosis, dowager’s hump, rib dysfunction, carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff injuries, forward head postures and thoracic outlet syndrome, to name a few. These breakthrough therapeutic approaches aim to treat soft tissue pain that spans the spectrum of conditions. MAT works to address these persistent pain patterns by mobilizing joints through muscle manipulation.

MAT also encompasses effective methods for assessing clients. A thorough and proper evaluation structure is crucial for the manual therapist who hopes to achieve results. After all, if one cannot identify or at least form a reasonable hypothesis or two for what is causing the client’s pain, it will be tough to bring any lasting relief. It is important for the professional massage therapist or bodyworker who practices MAT to be able to feel confident in finding the true source of the issue or condition, rather than be distracted by flashy symptoms that lead the therapist in the direction of temporary, rather than long term, solutions. 

In order to continue gaining a better understanding of what is Myoskeletal Alignment Therapy, it may be helpful to consider the contexts in which MAT may be used. This signature modality exists toward the more clinical end of the manual therapy spectrum. For example, many practitioners may choose to focus their education on MAT to build a practice that centers on massage for sports therapy or orthopedic massage. These folks may end up opening their own independent clinics or go to work for hospitals, physical therapists, chiropractors, orthopedic doctors and other medical professionals. The common thread for the MAT practitioner tends to be the nature of the clients who are coming in, whether on their own or through medical referrals. In general, these are going to be clients who are significantly motivated to find relief from their pain, often after exhausting several other avenues of both traditional and complementary care.